Barnard Castle

We aren't English Heritage members so decided just to have a quick look inside before you had to pay to see if it was worth paying for but decided as it didn't look like there was much to see we would just view it from the outside which was interesting as you could view it from different sides. If you are in the area, it would be worth parking and going to have a look at it. The Queen Street Car Park in town is only £1 for four hours or £1.50 for all day.

I don't live too far from Barnard Castle so decided to pay a visit as not been for a long time.
First stop (do not follow postcode for) was Deepdale woods with the dogs and this was very pretty. It was extremely muddy in places as up in Co Durham it has been a tadge wet off late. Done a circular route and ended back on the main road.
Afterward Deepdale woods crossed over the River by the blue bridge for a longer walk. Interesting statues at a picnic area
Finished the day off with fish and chips at 149 chip shop and ice cream from a separate cafe.
This review is from the 12th July and my dogs are simply added so show it's a real review.

Confessing to never having been to Durham County, despite having lived, worked and visited nearby counties, it was an eye-catching holiday property that directed my wife and Ito Barnard Castle. Approaching the town without a glimpse of the historic castle is difficult, occupying, as it does, a prominent high spot in the town. We chose the town for what seemed like a bustling centre, with almost all local or regional shops, not packed out with big national chains and brands..not overkill on charity shops either! The town has a truly lovely and relaxed atmosphere and a wealth of free, on-street parking, making it a rare treat, compared to the majority of other tourist spots. The locals are remarkably open and friendly, happy to say hello and pass the time of day. With a marvellous array of housing types throughout the town and outskirts, everywhere looks inviting. Nearby, of course, apart from the Castle, cared for by English Heritage, is the stunning, Bowes Museum and with the Tees River flowing through, below the town, there are so many things to see and enjoy. We did use the town as a base to visit other Durham County offerings, like The Vales, High Force waterfalls, the stunning Durham City itself, with breathtaking Cathedral and Castle for starters. But we also really enjoyed Stanhope, Middleton in Teesdale, Staindrop and more. Not too far away, should the urge take you, towards the wonderful heritage coast, is an impressive out of town shopping outlet at Dalton Park, purportedly the biggest in the north east. Even a poor shopper like me, enjoyed a quick whizz around it, after being able to walk the pooch in 20 + acres of grounds. Back to Barnard Castleit really is a superb spot to relax, unwind, shop without stress and enjoy everything a holiday destination without a beach should be. The tourism folk are happy to assist those planning a trip, so, look it up, get some information, check out Sykes Holiday Cottages, amongst other sites and book your break there. In my opinion, you cannot fail to have a thoroughly pleasant time in such a giving town..

On arriving we were told only pre booked tickets were req to get in. We were unable to do this and was refused day tickets. Typical English Heritage, who do they think they are. From what we see from outside, it’s a total ruin, and filthy. It was our lucky escape, as we found a lovely old castle to visit on our way back to our hotel, no more than 15 minutes away from Barnard castle. It was called Raby Castle. Every thing about this place was fantastic, from the large free car park, to the friendly members of staff who met us, to the loverly little cafe on site, the fantastic estate park, with its splendid gardens, the lakes, and the Deer park. And we could buy day tickets, which were reasonable to access the castle and gardens. Take my advice, if you want a great day out, and see a great historical site, forget Barnard castle, and visit Raby castle instead, you won’t be disappointed.

As new English heritage members (we joined 2 weeks before lockdown) we were keen to use our memberships as soon as places reopened and this was the 1st site we visited. We found the lone member staff to be very welcoming, friendly and helpful, offering to tell us more about the site. All measures put in place were clear to follow and he had a good understanding of these. Sites are using a mandatory time slot booking system which is easy to follow. The site was not overcrowded at all and there was no queue to enter, even though the town itself was quite busy.
A large site with lots of places to explore. P.s don't go on a windy day (like we did) as it's quite high up!

First time I’ve been round an English heritage site. For £60 I got the yearly pass for me and 6 kids (I have 1). You can access the castle from the town centre, and most of the short stay parking is free (2 hours) we went the long way round and walked down the hill and back up ground the castle, if we had gone the other way it would have been no steep hills,

I went with my 6 year old on a fairly windy but sunny day, and we loved it, it’s not a huge castle, probably only take about an hour to go round, but for our first trip out we enjoyed it, plenty of space for kids to run about, beautiful views over the valley, and space to have a sit down and enjoy the views. They do have some small plaques dotted about telling you about which part of the castle is which.

It doesn’t have a cafe on site, but does have a small gift shop. Not sure if they sold hot drinks, but would have been nice to sit and enjoy the view with a warm drink. But easy access to the many coffee shops in town. It doesn’t have a play area on site, but their is a very small public park (ages up to about 8) just outside the door.

It would have been nice for some Easter activities/extra bits for the kids to have been on, during the school holidays

I think full price was about £7.50 for an adult and about £4 for a child, it’s probably reasonable; but it is a very small castle, it’s not a full day thing, but for an hour walk round we enjoyed it.

I visited during April after a couple of weeks unexpectedly away from home. My boss was ill and I took the chance to see my parents. I drove up to Bernard Castle, I wasn't supposed to be there, a few people saw me but I pretended I was just squinting at the sky.

Anyway, worth the drive from Durham, even if you can't see the roads.

This castle dates to Norman times but was developed up to the 14th century. It is unexpectedly large and has plenty of ruins to explore and lovely views over the river. The information boards are very informative and the guide book is excellent and reasonably priced. Allow an hour at the most. There is a small shop and picnic tables.

We really enjoyed it here. The castle is well maintained with lots of interesting and informative information boards.
The only place you can't go currently is up the larger tower due to covid restrictions, but that's perfectly understandable. You can still go up the stairs to all the other areas.
We were told all this at the entrance before we went in by the very friendly staff/volunteers.
Definitely recommend going on the 10am slot as it was lovely and quiet at this time.

Not great for prams or wheelchairs but that's completely understandable due to the nature of the site and by no means a criticism. Alot of the paths you have to access by walking across grass, and obviously stairs.

Lovely place to spend an hour or two.

Not ideal if you visit 'Barney and decide to visit the castle. .Sign says "pre book wsit here ", which if only here for a few hours means you cannot go just for a look around (time permitting). A few people left doing the same - just walked away. Sorry